Front drive for motor cars



May 28, 1935. o.. zANcAN FRONT DRIVE FOR MOTOR GARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OCT.. 26, 1933 9 (uw f l ATTORNEY' May 28, 1935. o. zANcAN FRONT l-)RIVE FOR MOTOR CARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1933 lNvl-:N-roR @Maz/Mmmm BY ,Lc/(M ATToRNEY May 28, 1935. 0, ZANCAN v 2,003,166

FRONT DRIVE FOR MOTOR cARs Filed Oct. 26, 1935 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY M 4f. S Ab( l f( ATTORNEY/ Patented May 28, 1935 -UNITED i STATES PATENT .OFI:.'ICEL` Y 2,003,166 '1 FRONT DRIVE Foa Motroltcnn'sY Ottavio Zancan, New York, Y. Appucaun octber ze, 1493.3, 'serial No'. 695,338 4 claims. (c1. 1st-'18) favor of individual clutch connections between `the front wheels and the drivingishafts therefor. 'I'he primary object of this invention is to providea novel and improved driving arrangement .i

for motor vehicles, especially designed forfront driving whereby the driving mechanism proper isymounted independently' of the front axle and -is directly connected to theY front wheels so asfto, as far as possible, relieve the front axle of all un sprung weight.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a driving mechanism of the type Where wheels 1 mounted at opposite sides of the'chassis may be connected to or disconnected from their respective driving shafts independently of each other, means cooperating with said wheels, adapted to` automatically cause one or the other of said wheels to become disengaged from its driving shaft when the car is turned to one side or the other.`

A further object is to provide, in a driving mechanism of` the character specified,` where one or the other of the front wheels of a motor car is caused to Abecome automatically disconnected from its respective driving shaft, when the car is being turned to one side or the other, a slipping lq clutch connection between each wheel and its respective driving shaft, facilitating the operation of the clutch mechanism itself.

, A still further object is 'to provide in a front .driving mechanism *for` motorY cars, a novel and improved arrangement of individually. actuated driving shafts for the front Wheels thereof, whereby ar relatively Vhigh driving efiiciency for one or the other of said shafts is obtained when, in turning, its corresponding wheel becomes the outer or ldriving wheel, while the other or inner wheel becomes disconnected from its respective shaft.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

In the development of my present invention I have sought to simplify as much as possible the construction of the front axle proper and to reduce to a minimum the weight of the parts actu- 5 ally supported thereby, in order to shift said weight to other partsof the chassis supportedby springs.

I have furthermore sought to simplify as much as possible the general arrangement of a front drive lfor motor cars, not only in' order to reduce its cost of production,` but also iniorder to `improve fits general eiiiciencyand performance., .y

My invention` is illustrated -byway .of example iin the accompanying. drawings, invwhich;`

lFigLl Visa vdetail vertical section of the arrange-v ment for connecting one ofthe frontwhelsto and', disconnecting it from its respective shaft;

Fig. v2. is a fragmentary plan view of the cam arrangement controlling the @operation of (the clutch; i

3-is a fragmentaryplan viewofl'partvof the crown of the two clutchelements, compos.- f

ing the clutch shown inFig. v1; e

Fig. 4is a'detail vertical crosssection through lme4-4 of'Figl;A L I..` y

- Fig. 5 .is a fragmentary. plan .view ofthe front part of a motor carchassis, embodying my'` invention;

Fig. 6 is a View. in elevation, partly sectioned, of the transmissionmechanism; and. Figli is a fragmentaryvplan view,'li,llustrating an alternative wayof mounting the..clutch,con trolling'cam. f l f. ,i j

Referring to Figs. 1 to. 6I0Hdesignate's'the front axle of a motor car, onwhich are .fixed the two springs II, I2, said kaxle being formed with two inwardly directed steering` knucklecarrying ends I3, I4. f .V

Each steeringknucklefis rprlovided, as usuaL I with an upper vertical pivotal studfIS, rotatably mounted within the corresponding end I3. or.,|4"ouf the front axle, and a lower pivotal stud It, larly mounted inan extension II- verticallyspaced from the axle end I3 or I4, said extension being bolted or-otherwise secured onto the lower. siirl face of the axle, as shown-at vI8. je Studs I5, I6 together form-apivotalsupport for the steering knuckle, ,which.comprises as usual', a steering arm I9 connected by a connecting rod 20 to thel steering armf I9v' of the lsteer ing knuckle at the opposite end. f

Each steering knuckle is also formedintegral with an outwardly extending hollow. shaftfZI, upon which is mounted the wheel-22 through the intermediary Vof roller Vbearings -23.` Within the inner end of hollow lshaft 2| is rotatably mounted a universal joint socket 24,

supportedby ball bearings 25, 26, and'thejouter end of saidshaft is internally threaded to receive aA threaded plug 21, forming a bearing for the outer Yend of a short shaft 28, which constitutes Vthedriving shaft proper for the wheel.

inserted. The-outer end of said shaft is turned down to form an outwardly extending stud 30, on which is secured clutch member 3|, adapted to engage the wheel at 32.

For this purpose the wheel is provided or formed integral with a stationary clutch member, comprising a circumferential series of teeth 33, as shown in Fig. 3, said teeth being preferably rounded, as shown, in order to form with the clutch'member. 3| a slipping clutch connection. In order to decrease friction when the clutchv is being engaged or disengaged, one of the clutch members, for instance, clutch member 3|, has its clutch elements constituted by rollers 34, adapted to enter the space intervening betweenteeth 33 of the other clutch member.

When the clutch is in full engagement, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the plane a passing through the axes of rollers 34 remains somewhat beyond the plane b passing through the centers of the Vrounded portions33 of teeth 33,'so that a positive non-slipping connection is, therefore, established between the two clutchmembers. ,.WhenV clutch'member 3| is Vforced outwardly to apoint wliere'plane a Vhaspassed tothe' left 'of plane b, with respect to Fig. 3, the connection between the two clutch members becomes of the slippingy type, and the continued rotation of one clutch member with respect -to the other will vfacilitate their disengagement, as clutch member 3| continues tobe forced outwardly in the manner which will be later explained.

Driving shaft 28is formed with a' collar`35,

forming an abutment for a light spring 36, interposed between said collar and plug 21, the action of. said spring being normally to hold clutch 3| into engagement'with its respective wheel. As explained, shaft 2B is axially shiftable with respect to socket `24 andthe same can be forced outwardly by,k means of a forked lever 31, pivotally mounted at 38, 'saidforked lever having two projecting lugs 39, one at each side of shaft 28,

Vbearing against collar 35 through the intermediary of a ball bearing 40.

knuckles, is concentric with the pivotal connection of the corresponding knuckle, whereas the portion 41 of said cam surface, extending front- 'wardly of said plane c has a much smaller radius Ythan Dart 46. f

It will be seenfthat by virtue of this arrangement, if steering knuckle |5, which is the left hand steering knuckle, is angularly displaced in a clockwise direction, as shownin Fig. 5, the position of roller 44 and lrod 43 will remain undisturbed and so will the clutch connection between the driving shaft -28 and its respective wheel 22.

If on theuotherhand, the' steering knuckle is `angularly displaced Ain a counterclockwise direction, portion 41' of the cam surface will force roller 44 inwardly, causing the clutch connection -to become disengaged.

As explained, when this is done it is sufficient 'for' the clutch'member 3| to be moved to a point where plane a, passing through the axis of rollers 34, has passed beyond plane b of Fig. 3. At this stage, the pressure mutually exerted by clutch members against each other will assist the action of the cam surface 4`| in causing the clutch members to become disengaged.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that when the steering knuckle at the left is angularly displaced in a clockwise direction, connecting rod 20 will cause a corresponding displacement of the steering knuckle at the right, with the result that a right turn will be taken. Wheel ,22 at the left will become the outer wheel and wheel 22' at the right will become the inner wheel, and due to the position. of said inner wheel with respect to cam 45 at the right, it will be seen that while the clutch connection of outer wheel`22 is left undisturbed, inner wheel 22 will become disconnected, the operation of its clutch taking place automatically upon the steering Aknuckle carrying said wheel being turned in the manner described. I

' The reverse will take place if the steering knuckles are angularly displaced in the opposite direction, when a left turn will be taken and wheel 22 will become the inner wheel, while Wheel 22" will `become the outer wheel. y

In Fig. 5 it is also seen that each steering knuckleY is directly connected by means *of an articulated shaft to the power take-olf shaft 48, mounted at the forward end of gear box 49. Said gear box, as shown in Fig. 6, is placed in front of the motor, with its shafts 50, coaxial with the motor shaft 5|, clutch members 52,53 beingrespectively mounted on said shafts 50, 5|, and a brake 54, beingfmounted vat'the outer end of shaft. 50 and beingactuated by brake rod 54.

Said gearbox contains'the speed change gears, which may be arranged in any suitable manner, and also contains a worm 55, mounted at the forward end of shaft 50 and a work wheel 56 driven thereby fixed on :shaft 48. Said shaft 48`projects at each side of `the forward end 51 ofthe gear box, and each one of its ends 58-#59 is connected to a universal joint 60, 6| to a shaft 62, 63, said shafts 62, 63 being, in their turn, connected by universal joints 64, 65 'to the respective joint sockets 24, such as shown in Fig. 1,'a similar joint socket being provided, but not shown, for wheel 22.

By virtue of this arrangement, the front axle is entirely relieved of the weight of parts associated with the driving mechanism and a lighter and preferable construction results. Another advantage resulting from this arrangement is that the articulated shaft extending between power take-off` shaft 48 and the outer Wheel when the car is taking a turn'will operate under Very favorable conditions, because the turning of the wheels tends to reduce to a minimum the angle between the Various memberscomprising the articulated shaft. On the-other-hand, the other articulated shaft is working'under unfavorable conditionsbecause .the angle'between the' elements composing the universal joint at the steering end will be increased. However. the corresponding` wheel being the inner wheel, said articulated shaft will have practically no work to do so that no harm results from the conditions described. l

At times it may be desirable to make the cams 45, 45' adjustable to and from their respective wheels. In such cases, the construction shown in Fig. 7 may be adopted. In the same it will .be 'seen that cam'45 proper is secured onto a the transmission shaft.

support 66, which is, in its turn secured onto end 61 of the front axle, by means of screws 68, which are inserted in slots 69, provided in the attaching portion of the cam. Said slots extend in a direction parallel to plane c', connecting the pivotal steering knuckle supports, so that the cam surface 46'41' can be adjusted to and from the pivotal support I5, l", of the corresponding steering knuckle.

It will be observed that the arrangement described makes it possible to substitute for the differential gearing ordinarily used for actuating the two driving wheels of a motor car, a simpler driving mechanism in the form of a worm gearing. This also makes it possible to do away with the wheel brakes, the braking action being efficiently performed by the brake mounted on It will also be observed that since the operation of the wheel clutches takes place automatically upon the wheels being turned to one side or the other, the construction of the steering apparatus is much simpler than that described in my copending application, above referred to. 'Ihe two articulated shafts extending from the worm wheel shaft to the wheel driving shafts permit full and free sway to the chassis and parts carried thereby in their vertical displacements caused by oscillations of their supporting springs with respect tothe front axle.

The constructional details of my device may vary from those shown without departure from the inventiveidea; the drawings, therefore, will be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense. I accordingly reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those Ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a motor car the combination, with a front axle, a steering knuckle comprising a wheel support pivotally mounted at each end of said axle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon each support, and a driving shaft for each wheel rotatably mounted within its respective support, of a clutch member carried by each wheel, another clutch member carried by its respective driving shaft, adapted to engage said Wheel clutch member, one of said clutch members comprising a circumferential series of rollers positively connected to and actuated by said driving shaft, the other clutch member having a circumferential series of recesses adapted to register with said rollers, the depth of said recesses being at least equivalent to the radius of said rollers, so as to form a positive driving connection therewith, and means for automatically causing said shaft clutch member to move away from said wheel clutch member, when its steering knuckle is angularly displaced so as to cause the car to turn to the corresponding side thereof, so as to intitate the disconnection of one clutch member from the other. f

2. In a, motor car the combination, with a front axle, a steering knuckle comprising a wheel support pivotally mounted at each end of said axle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon each support, and a driving shaft for each wheel rotatably mounted within its respective support, of a clutch member carried byeach wheel, another clutch member carried by its respective driving shaft, adapted to engage said wheel clutch member, one of said clutch members comprising circumferential series of rollers positively connected to and actuated by said driving shaft, the other'clutch cam member, carried by said axle at each end thereof, automatically causing shifting of the corresponding driving shaft to move the clutch member carried thereby away from the corre-V sponding wheel, when the steering knuckle carrying said wheel is angularly displaced so as to cause the car to turn to the corresponding side thereof, so as to initiate the disconnection of one clutch member from the other.

3. In a motor car the combination, with a front axle, a steering knuckle comprising a. wheel support pivotally mounted at each end of said axle, a wheel rotatably mounted uponV each support, and a driving shaft for each wheel .rotatably mounted withinV its respective support, of a clutch member carried by each wheel, another clutch member carried by its respective drivingshaft, adapted to engage said wheel clutch member, Vone of said clutch members comprising a circumferential series of rollers, the other clutchy member having a circumferentialfseries of recesses adapted to register with said rollers, the depth of said recesses being at least equivalent to the radius of said rollers, so as to form a positive driving connection therewith, a stationary cam member, carried by-said axle at each end thereof, automatically causing shifting of the corresponding driving shaft to move the clutch member carried thereby away from the corresponding wheel, when the steering knuckle carrying said wheel is angularly displaced so as to cause the car to turn to the'corresponding side thereof, so as to initiate the disconnection of one clutch member from the other, a power take-off shaft mounted at the rear of and independently of said axle, and an articulated connection between each end of said power take-off shaft and the Wheel driving shaft at the corresponding side;

4. In a motor car the combination, with a front axle, a steering knuckle comprising a wheel support pivotally mounted at eachend of said axle, a wheel rotatably mounted upon each support, and a driving shaft for each wheel rotatably mounted within its respective support, of a clutch member carried by each wheel, another clutch member'carried by its respective driving shaft, adapted to engage said Wheel clutch member, one of said clutch members comprising a circumferential series of rollers, the other clutch member having a circumferential series of recesses adapted to register with said rollers, the depth of said recesses being at least equivalent to the radius of said rollers, so as to form a positive driving connection therewith, a stationary cam member carried by said axle at each end thereof, automatically causing shifting of the corresponding driving shaft to move theV clutch member carried thereby away from the corresponding wheel, when the steering knuckle carrying said wheel is angularly displaced so as to cause the car to turn to the corresponding side thereof, so as to initiate the disconnection of one clutch member from the other, a worm gearing comprising ra power takeoif shaft mounted at the rear of and independently of said axle, and` an articulated connection between each end of saidpower take-off shaftk and the Wheel driving OTTAVIO ZANCAN. 

